A Safety Alert detailing an explosion on one of our Asphalt plants earlier this year has been released this week. The explosion caused significant damage and it was only good fortune that prevented major injury to members of the local team.
There are two specific learning points from this incident, which are relevant to all operations:
- Management of Change – Modifications to the plant as far back as the 1980s and again earlier this year resulted in latent defects that contributed to this incident. In recent months, we have seen an increase in the number of incidents resulting from inadequate Management of Change and subsequent failure to effectively assess plant or process modifications. Operations are encouraged to incorporate Management of Change arrangements into their health and safety management systems, see attached examples which were communicated early last year. (Note: due to the complexity of the operations, Cement already have more detailed systems in place).
- Inspection and Defect Reporting – A ball valve that had been defective for some time was a significant immediate cause of the incident. It is essential that we operate effective inspection and defect reporting schemes, with repairs being carried out in a timely manner, we mustn’t make do… little details matter!
For a video detailing the circumstances of the incident in detail, please visit: